Gov. McAuliffe in Lynchburg to thank first-responders for work on oil train derailment

By Tamara Dietrich

McAuliffe thanks first responders in Lynchburg derailment

News & Advance

News & Advance

Gov. Terry McAuliffe was set to be in Lynchburg Friday morning to thank first responders from last week’s oil train derailment and get briefed on ongoing cleanup efforts, his office says.

A mile-long CSX tanker train carrying Bakken crude from North Dakota to a Yorktown storage and shipping terminal derailed on April 30, sending three cars into the James River and igniting a fiery explosion.

About 20,000 gallons of light crude spilled into the river, which flows to the Chesapeake Bay.

Federal and state investigators are trying to determine the cause of the derailment, which involved 17 cars.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Transportation issued an emergency order Wednesday requiring railroads to tell states when Bakken crude tanker trains with more than 35 cars will be moving within their borders. It also is urging railroads to use the strongest-available rail cars to carry the crude, which is considered more flammable than other types of crude oil.

After meeting with first responders, the governor was also slated to make an economic development announcement in Lynchburg Porter’s Fabrication.